Latch



W. R. MONROE. LATCH.

No. 431,752. Patented July 8, 1890.

(No Model.)

Wmws'sss.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IVILLIAM R. MONROE, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

LATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of, Letters Patent No. 431,752, dated July 8, l890.

Application filed January 20, 1890. Serial No. 337,491. (No model.)

Y To all whom it may concern:

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Be it known that I, WILLIAM R. MONROE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Latches and Locks, of which the followingis a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to that class of devices by which a door will be latched automatically when closed, and which may be locked when so desired. 4

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, cheap, and novel device which will not only serve as a combination latch and lock, but which will tend automatically'to draw the door to which it is applied firmly closed.

To this end my invention consists in the construction and combination of the parts herein described, shown in the drawings, and as pointed out definitely in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front eleva` tion of my improved device, with the Working-parts shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is an end View of the device. Fig. 3 is a back view of the device with the back plate removed. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the device on linea 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detached view of the latch-bolt. Fig. 6 is a detached View of the lock-tumbler, and Fig. 7 is a detached view of the locking-bolt.

I will now proceed to describe in detail the device shown in the drawings in such full, clear, and exact language as will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same.

A represents the lock-case, and a represents a stud projecting inward from the front plate thereof. l

B represents the latch-bolt, which is pivoted to said stud a and extends outside the lock-case at both ends through slots in the face-plate a and end plate a2. The end b is the latching end and is adapted to engage with a suitable keeper. The end b is bent outward, thereby forming a handle which may be conveniently grasped and by which the latch may be raised.

C represents the keeper, which is attached to a suitable plate, by which it may be secured to the door-frame. .That part c of the keeper with which the latch b first engages is suitably beveled, whereby the latch is forced upward until it reaches a point where it may drop behind the latching-shoulder on the keeper. rIhe front face b2 of the latch is also suitably beveled in the ordinary manner. The latching-shoulder c on the keeper and the back side b3 of the latch b are provided, re-

spectively, with oppositely-inclined beveledY Vexerts a strong continuous pressure downward upon the latching end of said bolt, therepy tending to force said latch down behind the keeper-shoulder, for the purpose mentioned.

To close a door provided with an automatically-acting latch, it is usually given a somewhat violent swing in the closing direction. The momentum of the door closes it momentarily as tightly as possible. Immediately thereafter there is a tendency for the door to rebound, and it does so rebound as far as the latch, which is in the meantime engaged behind the keeper, will permit it to. When the above-described latch is secured to a door, the door has practically no rebound whatever, because when closed as tightly as possible the spring suddenly forces the latch down behind the keeper as far as the beveled meeting surfaces will permit. YVhen the tendency of the door to rebound comes into action, it is completely resisted by t-he friction between the beveled meeting surfaces aforesaid. Thus with the above-described construction the door, when latched, may be drawn snugly closed by manipulating the latch-bolt, or it may be snugly closed by violently swinging it to, and then automatically held closed, as above described. When it is desired to unlatch the door, the handle b is pressed downward, thereby lifting the latching end of the bolt and releasing the door.

IOO

For the purpose of affording means for locking the bolt B in its latched position the following mechanism is provided: Upon the latching-bolt B is formed a shoulder b5, above which the locking-bolt E engages, and thereby prevents said latch from being raised. The locking-bolt, which is shown in Fig. 7, lies next to the front plate of the lock-case. A slot e receives the stud @,while a small stud a3 enters the slot'e'. By means of these studs and slots the bolt is guided backward and forward in a straight line. F represents a tumbler, which is pivoted to the stud a and lies between the lock-bolt E and the latch-` bolt B. This tumbler is provided with a lug f, which is held by means 'of the spring G in engagement with the lug e2 on the lock-bolt,

and thereby prevents the `forward movement of said lock-bolt while the parts are in the position shown in the drawings and the backward movement thereof when the latch is locked. When it is desired to lock the latchbolt, a key is inserted in the key-hole H and turned. The key lifts the tumbler F, and thereby releases the lug c2 from its engagement with the lug f. A further movement of the lkey drives., the lock-bolt E forward and causes the end e3 of said lock-bolt tok engage with the shoulder b5 on the latch, whereby said latch is prevented from being raised.

Just iinside the lock-case, on the latching end thereof, the latch-bolt is provided with a iange b, which is of the form of an arc of the circle of which the stud a is the center.

By means of this ange the slot in the faceplate through which the latch passes is closed during all positions of said latch. This serves to prevent dirt or dust from getting into said lock, and at the same time makes it impossiv ble for oneto introduce an instrument of any kind through said slot into the lock-case for the purpose of disarranging the mechanism. The ends of veither the slot in the face-plate a or that in the end plate a2 act as stops, which engage with the bolt B, thereby preventing the movement of the bolt to a position where it will be inoperative.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of a lock-case having a stud a projecting inward from its front plate serve as a handle, a lug b4 on said bolt, and aI spring secured to the lock-case and exerting a continuous pressure on said lug, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination of a lock-case having a I stud a projecting inward from its front plate, a spring-latch bolt pivoted to said stud and extending out of the case at both ends thereof, one of said projecting ends being fashioned to serve as a latch and the other end being bent forward to serve as a handle, and a shoulder b5 on said latch-bolt with a sliding lockbolt having a slotthrough which the stud a passes and a tumbler pivoted on said stud and lying between the lock-bolt and the latch-bolt, substantially as and for the purposes speciied.

3. In a combined latch and lock7 in combination, a lock-case having a stud a and a lug d3, a lock-bolt having slots into which said stud and lug pass, a tumbler pivoted on said stud, a latch-bolt pivoted on said stud and extending out through both ends of the case, one end of said bolt being fashioned to serve as a latch and the other being bent forward to serve as a handle, the iiange b and the shoulder h5 on said latch-bolt, and the springs D and G, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination of a lock-case adapted to be secured to a door and having a stud a integral with its front plate, a latch-bolt pivoted on said stud, a spring secured to the inside of said case and arranged to exert acontinuous force on said bolt in the latching direction, and a keeper adapted to be secured to the door-frame, the meeting surfaces of the keeper and bolt, when the latter is latched, being oppositely beveled, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

WILLIAM R. MONROE.

Witnesses:

E. L. THURsToN, LEONARD WATSON. 

